The Weight of the World

Without trying just to appear as "Dylanically correct," I’m not sure I understood the article that appeared in these pages last week (what else is new?)

Said article compared the works of Milli Vanilli and Bob Dylan. Without trying to critique the writer’s point, it was a rather easy shot to take. You want to make a comparison? How about Betty Carter vs. Tiffany? Just who has sold more jeans? Barry Manilow vs. the Cure – just who has made more young girls cry?

Maybe I missed the point however; if the satire was of Bill James and all the "Scientific" analysis of baseball that man created, it was a brilliant piece of work.

We need not devote more time to Minnesota’s finest, suffice it to say my check was in the mail the moment I heard of his impending appearance at the State Fair. Our state fair is a great state fair.

Thanks to all who commented on my article last week about Max the Cat. There’s plenty more of where that came from. I know the newsletter may not be the appropriate forum for Max’s antics but then again didn’t Henry Gross once write about his dog Shannon? How about the Beatles’ ode to Paul’s dog Martha? Just carrying on a rock and roll tradition? And I for one would love to hear about anyone’s pet snake…

I’ve tried to be sensitive about gender issues. Being a minority in this country, I can understand to a degree the toll of oppression over the years. That said, an event which happened left me feeling more of a weenie than usual. I was talking to the copy repair person at my other job. The man was upset because the copy machine, which he seemed to view as his child, had been damaged by misuse.

"When the warning light comes on, it’s time to stop," he said to me. "It’s like in your car when you oil light comes on you don’t keep driving."

I said something in sympathy, indicating I understood his point.

"You and I understand this," the man said. "But some of the ladies her…" If a certain feisty, former state employee had been around, this might have turned into a postal situation, those might have been the man’s last words. But dweebie Dave let it pass without so much as a rebuttal. So I write this confession with the promise I’ll do better next time.

The great Cheapo excursion to the Southwest was a success. Looking at our recently returned colleagues’ photographs of the adventure – it looks like it was a great trip. Having an airline ticket I have to use by next March, I wonder if any of you have suggestions as to where I can go (boy am I leaving myself open there). My inclination is to go East but the deep South might be nice. My sister wants me to visit her in L.A., but that’s been done before. My visit to Seattle was nice but there was just too much damn coffee available. Where do I go?